TATSD Chapter 73

“Let’s go home.” Ji Wei gently stroked the boy’s thin back.

He waited until the boy’s emotions gradually calmed before gripping his shoulders and, with a slight force, separating Liu Yimian from his embrace.

The boy looked up at him.

Although he had stopped crying, his eyes were still red, like a little white rabbit whose fur had been tousled by the wind, looking pitiful.

If only Ji Wei had held onto him earlier, he wouldn’t have been swept away by the crowd, and this wouldn’t have happened.

Ji Wei didn’t know exactly what had occurred, but seeing Liu Yimian in this state, he could guess that something had gone wrong. And it wasn’t as simple as just losing his money pouch.

It was his fault.

Guilt nearly overwhelmed Ji Wei, but he couldn’t let it show. Instead, he did his best to comfort Liu Yimian, helping him regain his composure as quickly as possible.

With Ji Wei by his side, the lingering fear in Liu Yimian’s heart slowly faded away.

He took a step back, releasing himself from Ji Wei’s embrace, and grasped the edge of Ji Wei’s sleeve, looking a bit lost.

“Let’s go home!”

“Alright.”

From the corner of his eye, Ji Wei noticed the boy’s hand tightly clutching a corner of his sleeve, his fingertips pale.

Using his left hand, Ji Wei gently pried the boy’s hand away.

Liu Yimian bit his lower lip, trying to withdraw his clenched fist, but midway, it was caught.

Ji Wei’s large hand firmly held his left hand, the warmth from his palm seeping through, nearly burning its way into Liu Yimian’s heart.

“Let’s go,” Ji Wei said, leaving no time for Liu Yimian to react before leading him away.

They passed through the bustling market streets and only found some peace once they reached the edge of the western alley.

“Mianmian.”

Walking through the dim alley, they could still hear the noisy calls from the street.

Ji Wei called out, and Liu Yimian responded softly.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Liu Yimian stole a glance at him, hesitating.

“If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.” Ji Wei squeezed Liu Yimian’s hand gently, his voice tinged with concern. “Your hands have been cold this whole time. We should warm up some hot water when we get home.”

In this world, perhaps only this man in front of him was willing to tolerate him, care for him, and show him tenderness.

Besides telling him, who else could he turn to?

Liu Yimian thought.

After a moment of silence, Liu Yimian spoke awkwardly, “Someone… someone stole my money pouch.” His palm, still held by Ji Wei, started to sweat, and he nervously tried to pull away, only to have Ji Wei grip it tighter.

Ji Wei hummed in acknowledgment, “And then?”

Liu Yimian shuddered slightly, recalling that sickening feeling, his voice trembling, “He… his hands… were all over me…”

The last two words were so soft that if Ji Wei hadn’t been standing right next to him, he might not have heard them.

But he did.

Perhaps out of guilt, or maybe out of anger, Ji Wei suddenly let out a low growl, startling Liu Yimian, who quickly withdrew his hand.

He wrung his hands, looking at Ji Wei with a mix of worry and panic. “Brother Ji, are… are you okay?”

Ji Wei took two deep breaths, forcing down the surge of anger inside him. Calmly, he said, “It’s nothing.” He pulled out the key hanging from his belt, unlocked the door, and tugged Liu Yimian inside by the wrist.

“Brother Ji?” Liu Yimian was a little confused.

“Do you remember what that person looked like?” Ji Wei asked, his brows furrowed.

“There were too many people around. I didn’t get a good look at him…” Liu Yimian’s face fell as he recalled the incident. If only he could have caught the thief, especially since the money pouch contained one tael of silver and a few dozen coins.

Ji Wei let out a cold laugh. “Lucky for him. Otherwise, I’d turn the earth upside down to find him.” After that, Ji Wei quickly forced a smile, softening the fierce look on his face, afraid of scaring Liu Yimian.

“Alright, it’s over. Don’t dwell on it. Let it go.” Ji Wei boiled a bowl of goat’s milk, sprinkling in some ground almond powder to remove the milky smell, giving it a fragrant, nutty aroma.

The almond powder was specially bought and ground by Ji Wei just for Liu Yimian.

It was more soothing for sleep than tea.

After Liu Yimian finished drinking, Ji Wei hurried him off to bed. His own heart was still burning with anger, frustrated both at the thief he hadn’t caught and at himself for not keeping a better eye on Liu Yimian, letting him suffer such an injustice.

Ji Wei paced back and forth in the courtyard for over half an hour, the night air chilling him before he finally returned inside, took off his outer robe, and lay down on the bed.

Even with his eyes closed, Ji Wei couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. The more he thought about it, the more his mind filled in the details that Liu Yimian hadn’t spoken of.

He ground his teeth, imagining cutting off those hands—

“Brother Ji?”

Liu Yimian’s soft voice interrupted Ji Wei’s dark thoughts.

He didn’t open his eyes, keeping his breathing steady, lying silently to see what Liu Yimian would do.

“Are you asleep?”

Ji Wei didn’t move or respond, pretending to be sound asleep.

Liu Yimian rested his hands on his cheeks, staring at Ji Wei’s sharp profile, illuminated faintly by the moonlight.

He watched Ji Wei for a long time, listening to his steady breathing, before whispering to himself.

There were some things he couldn’t say when Ji Wei was awake. Only in the quiet of the night, when Brother Ji was asleep, did he dare to speak.

“You probably think I’m useless, right? Just because someone touched me, I squatted on the street and cried. But Brother Ji, I was really scared.”

Liu Yimian’s voice was soft, like the evening breeze brushing past Ji Wei’s ear.

—He moved a little closer, almost pressing against Ji Wei’s side.

“I felt so disgusted by him, he was so filthy, how could he touch me? After he touched me, I felt like I became filthy too.”

“At that moment, I was so scared to see you, but also so scared not to see you.”

“You’ve become so amazing, I want to become someone worthy of standing by your side.”

Liu Yimian’s eyes sparkled in the dim light, gazing at Ji Wei. “Brother Ji, I like you.” His tone was firm as a rock, yet he spoke so softly, as though afraid of waking the person next to him.

It didn’t matter. Ji Wei was asleep, he wouldn’t hear or feel it.

Liu Yimian tried to reassure himself, but his heart pounded wildly, his cheeks burning, and even his palms grew slick with cold sweat.

Propping himself up on one arm, Liu Yimian leaned over Ji Wei, holding that position as he carefully studied Ji Wei’s face.

Awake, he was strong and composed.

Asleep, he looked gentle and peaceful.

This was his hero.

Liu Yimian’s eyelids fluttered closed as he leaned down and placed a feather-light kiss on the corner of Ji Wei’s lips.

Though brief, the kiss spread like wildfire through his body.

That single touch ignited his entire being.

Liu Yimian quickly rolled over, turning his face away and burying it in the bed curtains. Embarrassed, he covered his burning cheeks with his hands, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t hide the rising sense of joy and excitement in his heart.

As long as he didn’t say anything, Brother Ji wouldn’t know!

He touched his lips with his fingers, smiling as he slowly drifted into dreams. Once his breathing grew steady and deep, the peacefully “sleeping” Ji Wei suddenly opened his eyes.

He stared blankly at the dark canopy of the bed, unconsciously rubbing the corner of his lips where Liu Yimian had kissed him.

That spot burned, as if on fire.

In all his thirty-one years, Ji Wei had never experienced such a feeling.

Was this what liking someone felt like?

Ji Wei didn’t know.

His heart pounded, fast and heavy as if someone were hammering at it. After just a moment, he felt dizzy.

Cautiously, Ji Wei turned over, his eyes fixed on Liu Yimian’s back. He didn’t know how long he lay there, watching him, his mind a complete jumble, all of his usual calm and composure gone. Only when the first light of dawn crept in through the window did he finally get out of bed.

The sun had risen, and Ji Wei hadn’t slept a wink all night.

Despite that, his body felt fine, and his energy wasn’t too bad. After washing up, he roasted a few sweet potatoes in the bread oven.

Standing in the courtyard, Ji Wei completed a round of tai chi, finally calming his thoughts.

Life could be short or long, and full of uncertainties.

Yimian was still young; perhaps he mistook his dependence on Ji Wei for romantic affection. Ji Wei, on the other hand, had lived thirty-one years, and he couldn’t afford to play along with any youthful foolishness.

If Liu Yimian realized his mistake in the future, Ji Wei wanted to leave room for retreat.

So, even if there was a part of him that liked Yimian, he knew he couldn’t let things go any further.

He felt relieved that he hadn’t opened his eyes last night.

Otherwise, who knows how awkward things would have gotten between them?

The goat’s milk had helped Liu Yimian sleep soundly, and since he’d gone to bed late, he didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky. When he groggily opened his eyes and rolled over to touch the cold, empty spot beside him, he suddenly shot up, clutching his blanket.

He remembered what had happened last night.

“How could I have done something so shameless?”

Liu Yimian froze, at first thinking it had all been a dream. But as his mind cleared, he realized the truth—those things he had said, the kiss—everything had happened!

He buried his face in his hands, feeling so embarrassed that he almost wanted to hide his head under the covers.

“What do I do? What do I do? I can’t face Brother Ji…”

He pounded the bed in frustration, the muffled sound filling the room.

Sitting in bed, he noticed that the windows and door were wide open, and the sweet smell of roasted sweet potatoes drifted in from outside.

His stomach growled loudly. Embarrassed, Liu Yimian thumped his soft belly and muttered, “It’s just because I skipped breakfast, why are you making such a fuss?”

“Making a fuss about what?” Ji Wei’s voice came from the doorway. He peeked his head in just as Liu Yimian, startled, looked up.

In an instant, Liu Yimian’s face turned bright red.

He quickly looked away, unable to meet Ji Wei’s eyes, stammering, “Brother Ji, are you roasting sweet potatoes?”

“Yep, they’ve been cooking for a while. You should get up soon; if you sleep any longer, it’ll be lunchtime,” Ji Wei replied, keeping his tone light. He let out a long breath and briskly walked away from the window.

Only after Ji Wei left did Liu Yimian dare to get out of bed. Grabbing a pile of clothes, he dressed quickly, cautiously peeking around with each step as he looked for Ji Wei.

When he reached the kitchen door, he poked half his face out, but Ji Wei wasn’t there.

“Where did he go?”

“Are you looking for me?”

Ji Wei gently patted Liu Yimian on the shoulder, causing him to jump in fright.

His face went pale—he had been seriously startled.

Ji Wei had gone to get more firewood after it ran out, and when he returned, he overheard Liu Yimian mumbling to himself, so he had asked the question without thinking. He hadn’t expected to scare him so badly.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Ji Wei immediately stepped back, giving Liu Yimian space. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Liu Yimian patted his chest, calming down slightly. But then, the memory of what he’d done last night came flooding back, and his face heated up again.

Unable to face Ji Wei, he quickly turned and ran into the house to grab some willow branches, salt, and water, heading to the courtyard to wash up.

Ji Wei tossed the firewood into the corner and leaned against the doorframe, watching the boy crouched by the wall. His heart softened, but at the same time, a slight bitterness welled up within him.

Ah, to be young again.